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Bio
Billy Gibbons was born december, 1949 in Houston, Texas, and would eventually grow to be one of the most defining forces behind the raunchy Texas blues sound.
Billy lead a series of combos during his teens, all setting the ground work for the later formation of ZZ Top. Prior to ZZ Top, Billy fronted the band The Moving Sidewalks, who produced only one album, "Flash" in 1968. A psychedelic LP, it is currently available on CD and is worth seeking out. The Moving Sidewalks opened a series of Texas tour dates for Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix once proclaimed that Billy Gibbons was one of the most promising new guitarists of that time. Billy has certainly lived up to that accolade. Billy has also done his fair share of studio work for other artists, but received little credit for it. He has also written tunes for Johnny Cash and Dave Edmunds.
Billy is a man of many layers. As well as being a gifted musician, he also collects vintage guitars, African art, and cars, like his famous 1933 Ford 'Eliminator' three window coupe, the 1946 Cadillac 'Cadzilla', the 1950 Ford business coupe "Kopperhead'. Also, there is the lowered 1962 Chevy Impala 'Slampala' and the 1965 Chevy Impala convertible 'El Dorado Bar'.
Initially ZZ Top joined a swell of southern boogie bands and toured heavily around the southern circuit, firing up a strong following along the way. Their first album, while bending and distorting traditional blues, was firmly rooted within the blues genre, However, Rio Grande Mud showed the boys had a wider flexibility. The Rolling Stones cover, "Francene" gave the trio their first hit and introduced them to a much wider audience.
Other albums would follow, each adding to their now classic repertoire, based on blues structure, rock distortion, modern synth, saucy attitude, and tongue in cheek lyrics. This infectious combination made them a heavily recruited band for writing songs for, and borrowing existing songs in numerous movies, like Back to the Future, and Striptease.
Over the years, one of ZZ Top's greatest strengths has been their consistently high-standard live presentation and performance on numerous financially record-breaking tours around the US.
One of rock's maverick attractions, Gibbons, Hill and Beard have retained their eccentric, colourful image, dark glasses and Stetson hats, complete with an almost casual musical dexterity that has won over hardened cynics and carping critics. In addition to having produced a fine (but sparse) canon of work, they will also stay in the record books as having the longest beards in musical history (although one member, the inappropriately named Frank Beard, is clean-shaven). Whether by design or chance, they are doomed to end every music encyclopedia.
We invite you to check out some of the hottest blues guitar in the world, and punch your own playing up a notch with Billy's crowd-rousing style.
Perhaps most notable is that while ZZ Top is hugely famous, Billy Gibbons the man prefers to remain anonymous in his work as he donates money, time and support to charities.
Links
ZZ Top's Official Web Site
Tablature, Sheet Music & Instruction
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